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Monday, August 20, 2012

Shrimp and Broccoli Rice Noodles with Peanut Coconut Sauce

Often times I will go through my cupboard and grab random jars, cans,
and ingredients, laying them out on the counters; wondering what the
heck is going to become of them. This particular meal was an off-shoot
of one of those nights. I found a package of rice noodles, defrosted
some shrimp, and voila- a very basic but delicious, Asian inspired,
noodle dish.

I had begun making my own peanut sauce about a year ago and much to
my surprise it was accepted very well by other members of this
household. It’s very simple, the key being not to overcook the sauce,
as it will burn and you’ll think you ruined your nice pan that you got
for your wedding and you have to spend at least 25 minutes scrubbing it.
Not that I’ve experienced that.

Anyways, you can add any type of meat, tofu, or seafood to this
recipe. I used shrimp because it is what I had on hand, but chicken has
been successful as well.

My peanut sauce is a little less peanut-y than what you will find in
an authentic Thai restaurant; if you’d like add a smidge more peanut
butter or some sweet and sour sauce.

Method:
In a large sauce pan over medium high heat, toss shrimp, olive oil,
and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add ginger, chili
pepper, salt, and cumin. Lower heat and let simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add peanut butter, coconut milk, and juice from about half of the
lime. Bring to a high heat and right before it reaches a boil, reduce to
simmer. Now, cover and add broccoli, allowing to simmer in it’s own
juices for about 10 minutes.

Cook noodles according to package directions; I stir often for about 3-4 minutes.

Drain noodles and let cool for about a minute. Then add to large saucepan and thoroughly coat with sauce.

Garnish with a slice of lime and crushed peanuts and serve immediately, as it tastes the best when piping hot!